Now for BMWNA. Maybe this will show that Big business does not care about the consumer, just your money. BMW doesn't care what you think about the individual dealer. They know you will buy their car because of the name not the greatness of the car. There could be a dog turd in the back of every BMW and people that want the car, no matter how overpriced it is because of the name, will still buy it. I'm not trying to knock any BMW owners, lord knows if I had the money I might have one, but if their product is lacking don't buy it.

Many here have asked for BMWNA to step in. The problem with that is the dealerships have franchise agreements that are lengthy and protect the dealership more than BMWNA. The dealerships are a independent business and the manufacturer has no control over day to day operations. There are disagreements on a daily basis between customers and businesses, more so in automotive related that others but still few, if any, business around the world are able to please every customer every day. One can not reasonably expect corporate headquarters to step in every time there is a dispute.

This problem was worked out between the parties in a reasonable time frame, so what do you want BMWNA to do?

Many here have asked for BMWNA to step in. The problem with that is the dealerships have franchise agreements that are lengthy and protect the dealership more than BMWNA. The dealerships are a independent business and the manufacturer has no control over day to day operations. There are disagreements on a daily basis between customers and businesses, more so in automotive related that others but still few, if any, business around the world are able to please every customer every day. One can not reasonably expect corporate headquarters to step in every time there is a dispute.

This problem was worked out between the parties in a reasonable time frame, so what do you want BMWNA to do?

Why do people keep saying that?? If you really believe that, then can you tell me why BMW NA does NOT allow US dealers to sell new BMW's to Canadians? Is that not intervening in their "day to day operations"?

The plain fact of the matter is, BMW NA intervenes when it's in their best interest to do so, and doesn't when it's not. It's that simple. Although, I do think that it would have been in their best interest to intervene in this case. Their PR people probably didn't though.

The residual is based on MSRP and is not affected by the sales price. Any benefit from a low sales price will be had in the form of low lease payments. The leasing company isn't getting any significant benefit.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tturedraider

Yeah, but this isn't a BMWFS lease. The residual his leasing source uses doesn't have to be the same that BMWFS uses.

Actually, I am a grammarian. No kidding--professionally. I teach grammar. I can honestly say that your parenthetical commas are okay. Both of you.

In that case, how do you manage to hold down your job? Two of your five sentences are ridiculous fragments (including a misused em dash!); to top it off, you're wrong about the original punctuation. Lordy! I feel sorry for anyone in your "professional" grammar class.

It would be unreasonable and illogical for BMWNA to step in - no matter how much press this particular transaction happens to get. It would set a precedent that would unravel the entire dealer network. Every time a customer couldn't come to an agreement on a new purchase they'd be on the phone to BMWNA to force a resolution. They might as well sell retail themselves (which legally they can't) or follow Saturn's model of fixed pricing.

In that case, how do you manage to hold down your job? Two of your five sentences are ridiculous fragments (including a misused em dash!); to top it off, you're wrong about the original punctuation. Lordy! I feel sorry for anyone in your "professional" grammar class.

To ImJustSayin': I LOL'd.

Sorry for the , everyone. Back to business now!

I was just illustrating that conversational (descriptive) grammar, such as that used in a forum like this one, is often much more flexible than traditional, formal, prescriptive, uptight, academic grammar. This was in response to the original criticism. My em dash was meant tongue-in-cheek. Also, no, I'm not wrong about either of the original sentences. Commas may indeed also be used to indicate a spoken parenthetical pause for an inserted adverb phrase or clause. Sheesh. Tough crowd.

So has anyone else noticed that the page count is consistently one to two pages greater than the actual pages visible? Is someone reviewing the posts before letting them through or is vB simply choking on all of the action?

Edit: I can safely say the first thought isn't true as my comment posted instantly.

Why do people keep saying that?? If you really believe that, then can you tell me why BMW NA does NOT allow US dealers to sell new BMW's to Canadians? Is that not intervening in their "day to day operations"?

The plain fact of the matter is, BMW NA intervenes when it's in their best interest to do so, and doesn't when it's not. It's that simple. Although, I do think that it would have been in their best interest to intervene in this case. Their PR people probably didn't though.

I'm no auto industry expert, but the way I see it, the relationship between BMWNA and the dealerships isn't much different than, say a audiophile speaker manufacturer like Paradigm, and an authorized Paradigm retail store. The store has an agreement to sell and support Paradigm's products, but if the retailer pulls some shady tactics and overcharges a buyer, would you expect Paradigm to "step in" and resolve the dispute? No. They have nothing to do with setting the final sale price or the sales tactics used by their retailers.

However, I would expect that if I had a bad experience with an authorized retailer, then I should be able to report the incident to Paradigm so they are aware of it. After that, it's entirely up to Paradigm to decide whether my incident is the straw that breaks the camel's back and causes them to sever their relationship with the retailer. But if that happens, it's likely the result of many negative reports over time.

As for not allowing US dealers to sell to Canadians, I'm guessing that's not determined on a case-by-case basis. It's probably a precondition of being granted a BMW dealership. What I'm saying is, that's completely different than overseeing the day-to-day issues that arise at a dealership.

They have nothing to do with setting the final sale price or the sales tactics used by their retailers.

Not completely true with the retail analogy - with larger retailers, manufacturers have contracts that can set the lowest allowable advertised price, or even tell the retailer where their product should be displayed on the shelves.

I was just illustrating that conversational (descriptive) grammar, such as that used in a forum like this one, is often much more flexible than traditional, formal, prescriptive, uptight, academic grammar. This was in response to the original criticism. My em dash was meant tongue-in-cheek. Also, no, I'm not wrong about either of the original sentences. Commas may indeed also be used to indicate a spoken parenthetical pause for an inserted adverb phrase or clause. Sheesh. Tough crowd.